This is late, but from what i recall, the devs mentioned awhile back that including a level editor in the first game was an incredibly difficult thing to do, be it due to how the game is structured or otherwise coded, it took a lot of fanagling to get working to begin with and this being an even bigger game based on the same old one, it probably would've just made those issues they faced getting it to work worse.

They decided against it for this one, and instead, you have to use a text editor to create maps, essentially, using the official example map as, well, an example. A 'tutorial' of sorts to help one work out what does what.


Dunno if or if not there's a guide on the matter, doesn't seem to be.

Originally posted by Smogginal Dorksfurth:

This is late, but from what i recall, the devs mentioned awhile back that including a level editor in the first game was an incredibly difficult thing to do, be it due to how the game is structured or otherwise coded, it took a lot of fanagling to get working to begin with and this being an even bigger game based on the same old one, it probably would've just made those issues they faced getting it to work worse.

They decided against it for this one, and instead, you have to use a text editor to create maps, essentially, using the official example map as, well, an example. A 'tutorial' of sorts to help one work out what does what.


Dunno if or if not there's a guide on the matter, doesn't seem to be.

Disappointing.
I still make maps for DW1 though.
Though I'm a few years late to the fad--but it is what it is.
Thanks.

Honestly, the biggest issue i have with it, as i'm able to work with this kinda thing, is more that there's no visual indicator of the changes i'm making which is disorienting for me.

I basically upload my current version of the map i'm working on to the workshop(cus it for some reason refuses to load for me in-game unless i do sometimes), delete it from the workshop, load it up in-game, take a screenshot of the map in-game, then exit the game and using that as a reference to continue work.


Once you know what you're doing, it can be relatively straight forward and you can infer some other things.
Along with the .json provided by the example dungeon comes a .txt as well that lets you know what most things on display mean. Like 0 = floor, 1 = wall, 2 = abyss ect.

The major issue for me really is just that i have to go through the aforementioned tedious process because i have issues working out just how the map looks/works without being able to visually -see-, its current state.

Update: I've realized upon working on a map more that i was very wrong about what's needed to get it to be testable, and also realized that i don't even have to exit the game, i can just make changes on the fly with the map open in-game, and restart the level to basically refresh the map to the new version.


I now also understand roughly i'd say, about 85% of how to work with, this style of map creation and it's fairly straight forward once you know what you're doing.


I'd do a video guide to help walk people through things at some point if i had a YT account(I ain't got and can't afford a phone, and a phone number seems to be required to make an account nowadays.).

Originally posted by Smogginal Dorksfurth:

Update: I've realized upon working on a map more that i was very wrong about what's needed to get it to be testable, and also realized that i don't even have to exit the game, i can just make changes on the fly with the map open in-game, and restart the level to basically refresh the map to the new version.


I now also understand roughly i'd say, about 85% of how to work with, this style of map creation and it's fairly straight forward once you know what you're doing.


I'd do a video guide to help walk people through things at some point if i had a YT account(I ain't got and can't afford a phone, and a phone number seems to be required to make an account nowadays.).

Could you write a basic guide here? I don't know where to start.

Originally posted by andycronshaw:

Originally posted by Smogginal Dorksfurth:

Update: I've realized upon working on a map more that i was very wrong about what's needed to get it to be testable, and also realized that i don't even have to exit the game, i can just make changes on the fly with the map open in-game, and restart the level to basically refresh the map to the new version.


I now also understand roughly i'd say, about 85% of how to work with, this style of map creation and it's fairly straight forward once you know what you're doing.


I'd do a video guide to help walk people through things at some point if i had a YT account(I ain't got and can't afford a phone, and a phone number seems to be required to make an account nowadays.).

Could you write a basic guide here? I don't know where to start.

I could, but i don't think i could really do very much other then pretty much verbatim just rehashing what the example txt file says in the files themselves, cus it also acts more or less as a guide.


The only thing i think i could really -add- would be providing differentiation of what col vs row is, because i was getting the two mixed up for awhile and it doesn't mention it anywhere in that instructional file that's provided by the game its self, and also i -think- i understand what one of the mechanics is, but just like col/row, there's no actual indication what it is, so i'd have to trial & error my way into understanding and that's the waves because changing it, and the victory condition didn't seem to produce the.... right results. So, an explanation of -that- would have to come at a later date in an update to the guide.
-------------
Scratch that, i've worked out how to do the wave thing now.

I have not got as far as that. I see two example files in created_maps, one .txt and one .json. I can't open either from 'My Maps' inside the game and I don't know what programme uses .json files - is that the map format used by the game? I have attempted to modify the example text file just by changing the title and starting gold and saving as a different .txt file, but that does not appear in game either. Do I need to create a .json file? It says it is uploading to a workshop when I click example in game, I don't know what that is. I could tinker with the .txt file if I can work out the sequence to actually load the levels it seems reasonably straightforward the code comments are helpful.

Originally posted by andycronshaw:

I have not got as far as that. I see two example files in created_maps, one .txt and one .json. I can't open either from 'My Maps' inside the game and I don't know what programme uses .json files - is that the map format used by the game? I have attempted to modify the example text file just by changing the title and starting gold and saving as a different .txt file, but that does not appear in game either. Do I need to create a .json file? It says it is uploading to a workshop when I click example in game, I don't know what that is. I could tinker with the .txt file if I can work out the sequence to actually load the levels it seems reasonably straightforward the code comments are helpful.

The .json is the thing you need to edit for the actual level, the .txt is the provided guide i've mentioned already being present.

To edit .json files, i suggest Notepad++, you can easily find it online(Yes, it's free.) and i actually use it for a lot of code-based mod making for the various games i play.
Hell, i managed to reverse engineer how a model file for one game worked through what little legible text i could get with Notepad++ so i could force it to recognize a custom texture without being able to actually edit the model directly.


In-game, the level can be accessed just by clicking on the name's bar, not the arrow to upload to the workshop.
Sometimes, idk why, it just closes the menu like you clicked off instead of actually go to the proper next screen but that might just be a me issue.



I'm taking screenshots to use for a guide i'm gonna make.
I just need to know how steam guides work now, ironically enough... never done it before so ain't familiar with the parsing.


If anyone knows how to add non-screenshot images to a post here on steam, that'd be greatly appriciated cus it's kinda mandatory but i'd rather not have to upload a bunch of things to imgur or the like if i don't have to.

That is very helpful I have managed to edit the example level. I can't get it to recognise any other files I save but that is good enough for now there does seem to be a problem with that. I will do some squinting and imagination and try to build something, I have figured out why I was uploading stuff to the workshop there is a tiny arrow with no markings that I thought opened a folder of maps. it doesn't.